Tech Project

Description of the challenges faced by the Tech Project

The first step towards these hybrid games is new cards that can be read by electronic devices. In short; iCards. These games connect card and board games with digital devices like smartphones, tablets or even dedicated readers, designed for a specific application. These connections happen on different levels; is the electronic device used as an add-on, can the game be played without an electronic device as well or is the electronic device the centrepiece of the game? By using innovative technologies a card can become an entry ticket that grants the user access to any form of digital media.

Brief description of technology

As said before, the connection between games and electronic devices can be done on different levels. But we can also use different technologies to make that connection. So far our iCards segment includes the following technologies: - iTouch: TouchCode, Dot 2 Dot and Movables - iScan: image recognition, RFID/NFC, Barcodes - iBlend: Augmented Reality and X-ray

What the project is looking to gain from the collaboration and what kind of artist would be suitable

Here at Cartamundi we believe that the benefits for our project are multifold and we aim to gain from the collaboration on different levels: • New innovation processes: introducing artistic strategies leading to new methodologies and processes for innovation • Development of new unexpected uses-cases: looking at our technology from a radically different point of view may lead to new unexpected use-cases for our existing iCard technologies • Expanding our technological limits: testing unexpected use-cases for our existing technology leading to the development of new technology solutions • Exchange of knowledge and expertise complimentary to our project • Stimulating reflection upon the development of novel applications for traditional board and card games in the digital age The artist to be selected for the residence should show interest in working with novel ICT technologies and should show experience with integrating concepts from science and technology within his/her oeuvre. He/she is not required to have any technological skills though, more importantly the artist should be able to deliver an interesting concept that challenges our existing iCard technologies within the framework of hybrid games.

Resources available to the artist

- A team of experts (engineers, designers, developers, concept artists and manufacturing artists) at Cartamundi to assist with the development of your ideas during the residency - For the development and production of the prototype, Cartamundi will provide an in-house manufacturing budget (to be decided upon after the receival of the proposal) - Internet connection